5 Tips for Being More Attentive on Social Media

Are you doing a good job at responding to people who contact you on social media?

If not, you’ll definitely want to make a change!

You see, the brands that are being more attentive on social media are the ones who stand out online. They’re the ones who are developing strong, loyal relationships that turn a simple follower into a paying customer. And at the end of the day, that’s what most of us want, right?

5 Tips for Being More Attentive on Social Media

Whether you’re dealing with positive or negative comments, it’s important to follow up promptly. But how in the world are you supposed to do that when you have so many other things on your plate? These tips will help you be attentive on social media so you can focus on better serving your online community.

1. Plan Specific Times to Check Your Accounts

The reality is, we simply cannot be on social media 24/7. We can’t drop whatever we’re working on to read a notification the second it pops up. It’s just not good for our mental health or our overall productivity throughout the day. That’s why I recommend setting aside specific times throughout the day to check your accounts and review any notifications.

You may want to do this a few times per day. For example, in the morning, afternoon, and evening. This way, you aren’t going all day without responding to a potentially important message. But at the same time, you aren’t letting social media consume your day.

You may also want to turn off notifications entirely so you don’t get distracted. Otherwise, going to check one notification could result in 30 minutes of mindless scrolling. I would, however, suggest possibly turning notifications on during the launch of an offering so you can respond to messages from potential customers promptly.

2. Use Tools to Help Track Your Mentions

As your accounts grow, it can be difficult to keep up with so many notifications coming in on various platforms. While one option is to hire a virtual assistant or a social media manager to help, you could invest in a tool to make the job easier.

My personal favorite is Brand24. It’s great for being attentive on social media because it gives you access to all of your brand mentions in one place. That includes the mentions where your account wasn’t directly tagged! Not only that, but it works for blogs, videos, forums, podcasts, and reviews as well. So, this tool really tracks everything important to your online presence.

3. Always Aim to Respond to Everyone in a Timely Fashion

You never want to leave people hanging, so try to respond as promptly as possible. As mentioned before, setting aside a few times throughout the day to check in on your accounts will help with this. That way, only a few hours may pass before you get back to someone’s message. It’s the best thing you can do to be more attentive on social media.

Also, there’s one important thing to note if you’re going to be using social media platforms (like Twitter, for instance) as a customer service tool. Be sure to include your virtual office hours somewhere on your account where it’ll be easy to find. Then, if a customer reaches out at 10 PM, they’ll know you likely won’t respond until the next morning. (I also have a post that shares how to use Twitter for customer service that you may want to check out.)

4. Do Your Best to Resolve Any Issues

Many brands are guilty of ignoring critical messages they receive on social media. Instead of addressing them right away, sometimes they actually get deleted. This is doing your brand a huge disservice! There’s nothing worse than an unhappy customer. It’s in your best interest to do what you can to resolve any issues as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Of course, there is a difference between constructive criticism and someone who is clearly being an internet troll. Trolls can be blocked and their messages can be deleted. However, if someone is clearly having an issue, lend your support. It shows that you genuinely care about your community and that you do what’s necessary to make things right when needed.

5. Take What You’ve Learned & Use it for Future Content

You don’t have to struggle to come up with content ideas when your community is telling you what they want. And as you’re being more attentive on social media, you’ll start to pick up on this. You’ll notice different requests they have, which can be used to create content in the future. You will also pick up on it when they talk about their struggles or any other interests that could play a role in shaping your content plan. This is the ultimate way to let them know you’re paying attention to what they share with you.